How to Improve Your Sex Life After 50

If you consider that you’ve spent much of your life governed by menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and other reproductive functions, you might think that once you enter your post-reproductive years, your sex life might improve. All too often, the opposite is true for women in their 50s.

At Bay Area Physicians for Women’s Health, our team of experienced and skilled specialists understands all too well the effects that aging and menopause can have on a woman’s sex life, and we’re here to help.

If you’re in your 50s (or beyond) and you’d like some help in improving your sex life, here’s what you should know.

Why the decline in sexual health?

The primary driver behind the downturn in the sex lives of women in their 50s is menopause. This transition marks the end of your reproductive years and occurs when your ovaries shut down. Although this shutdown means no more periods, it also means that you have far fewer reproductive hormones in your system, which can have a big impact on your sexual health.

For example, half of women between the ages of 51-60 in the United States report issues with vaginal dryness. This dryness can make sex quite uncomfortable, which can certainly reduce your desire to engage in sex.

Other changes in your vaginal tissues can also affect how you feel about sex. Many postmenopasual women experience thinning vaginal tissue and/or a shortening of the vaginal canal, both of which can also render sex less than pleasurable.

A loss of desire

The libidos of both men and women tend to diminish with age, but, according to The North American Menopause Society, “Women are two to three times more likely to be affected by a decline in sex drive as they age.”

Though researchers haven’t found the exact cause-and-effect mechanism between a loss of sexual desire and aging, they’re quite certain that hormones play a large role. Not to mention, the physical changes that we described earlier can can certainly wreak havoc on a woman’s desire for sex.

Getting your sexual groove back

One of the best ways to improve your sexual health is to engage in intercourse more often, which will keep your vaginal tissues healthier. Of course, this is easier said than done if sex is uncomfortable for you. 

To help re-establish pleasurable intercourse, we offer hormone replacement therapies that can improve symptoms like vaginal dryness and thinning vaginal tissue.

These hormone replacements come in many different forms, from topical ointments that you can use directly on your vaginal walls to slow-release pellets that we place under your skin for a more systemic approach.

Our goal is that, by improving your sexual health through hormones, we can increase your sexual desire and improve your sex life.

To learn more about improving your sex life through hormones, contact our office in Mobile, Alabama, to set up an appointment.